1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to new and improved demountable bearing assemblies and shafts useful in mechanisms, such as in a point-of-sale type data terminal where such shafts are used for driving various means for forming records of all the transactions entered into the point-of-sale terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In electronic cash registers or POS terminals provisions are made for printing a receipt, an audit trail or for printing on forms, such as a bill of sale or a sales order form.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,681 of Cederberg et al, the POS data terminal disclosed therein has three stations: a receipt station where the customer's receipt is printed (if a receipt is required), an audit station where the storekeeper's record (audit trail) of all the transactions is printed, and a form station where the customer's order form or bill of sale is printed, if such is required. In the subject patent, a motor driven main drive shaft was provided with solenoid operated clutch means coupled thereto. The clutch means, through actuation of selected solenoids, couple the respective driving mechanisms in the respective print stations in response to the requirements of the information being processed in the terminal.
While the main drive shaft, as shown and briefly described in the subject patent, proved to be feasible, it was found that maintenance of the terminal posed a problem, and one of the reasons for this was the difficulty of removing the drive shaft, if that were necessary. This prevented a maintenance man from repairing the terminal in situ.
This invention is directed to the concept of providing demountable bearing assemblies for a drive shaft which can be easily inserted in the terminal and easily removed therefrom to facilitate maintenance of the terminal.